Gill box



A. A. SPISAK Dec. 2,1958

GILL BOX 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 21, 1955 INVENTOR.

Dec. 2, 1958 A. A, SPISAK GILL BOX 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 21, 1955INVE NTOR. BY flup/esw fl. JP/SAK J OENE A. A. SPISAK Dec. 2, 1958 GILLBOX 5 Sheeis-Sheet :5

Filed March 21, 1955 INVENTOR.

M s. E

2 BY 9/ m GILL BOX Andrew A. Spisak, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to TheWarner & Swasey Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of OhioApplication March 21, 1955, Serial N 0. 495,673

7 Claims. (Cl. 19-129) The present invention relates to gill boxes andthe like having pin draft mechanism for the treatment of slivers as apart of the yarn making process.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a new andimproved gill box in which faller bars are guided in their transfer fromadvancing means for moving the bars from the entrance end of the gillbox to the exit end to return means therefor, and from the return meansto the advancing means by conductors in the form of rocker memberssupported by transverse frame members connected between and spacing theside plates of the gill box, and in which the conductors for engagingthe same faller bar during any one of its transfer movements aresupported from the same transverse frame member.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improvedgill box of the type referred to above in which a novel biasing andbuffering means, in cluding in the preferred embodiment a rubber-likebody preferably comprised of neoprene, is provided to bias theconductors and cushion shocks imparted thereto by the faller bars.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment madewith reference to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof,and wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of the entrance end of a gill boxembodying the present invention, with portions thereof cut away to showthe drive mechanism for the faller bars;

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the exit end of the gill box of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal, sectional view of the gill box of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, detached view of a conductor for the faller bars,with portions in section, showing the biasing and buffering means forthe conductor.

While the present invention is susceptible of various modifications andof uses in various types of mechanisms embodying faller bars fortreating fibres and the like, it is herein shown and embodied in a gillbox having an upper series of faller bars and a lower series of fallerbars 11 adapted to treat a sliver being passed through the gill box. Thefaller bars 10, 11 are supported transversely of spaced side plates 12,13 for movement longitudinally of the gill box and each have a pluralityof vertically extending pins spaced along the length thereof fortreating the fibre being processed thereby. The side plates 12, 13 aremaintained in spaced relationship by upper transverse frame members 14,15 extending be tween' the side plates 12, 13 at the entrance and exitends of the gill box respectively, and by lower transverse frame members16, 17 extending between side plates 12, 13 at the entrance and exitends of the gill box respectively. The transverse frame members 14-17are secured to the side plates 12, 13 in any suitable manner, and in theillustrated embodiment, each-have reduced United States Patent Oportions 20 at their outer ends which extend through the side plates towhich the transverse frame member is to be connected and which arethreaded at their outer ends so as to receive nuts 21 adapted to threadon the end of the reduced portions to clamp the side plates between thenuts and shoulders 22 formed between the reduced portions of thetransverse frame members and the portion of the frame member immediatelyadjacent thereto.

The movement of the. upper series of faller bars 10, 11 longitudinallyof the gill box from the entrance end to the exit end of the box isguided by spaced, longitudinally extending upper support and guidemembers or saddles 24 adapted to engage opposite end portions of thefaller bars 10. The movement of the faller bars 11 of the lower seriesof faller bars from the entrance end of the gill box to the exit end isguided by spaced, longitudinally extending saddles 26, the uppersurfaces of which are adapted to engage opposite end portions of thefaller bars 11 to guide their advance.

The faller bars 10, 11 are advanced from the entrance end of the gillbox through the exit end by advancing means comprising a spaced pair ofupper lead screws 30 for the taller bars 10 and a spaced pair of lowerlead screws 31 for the faller bars 11. The lead screws 30 are positionedon opposite sides of the gill box and are adapted to receive the ends ofthe faller bars 10 in the lead screw groove formed therein. The leadscrews 31 are similarly positioned with respect to the lower faller bars11. The construction of the lead screws 30, 31 and of the faller bars isconventional and well known in the art and may be similar to that shownand described in U. S. Patent 2,643,419.

Upon reaching the end of their advance movement, the faller bars 10, 11are respectively moved upwardly and downwardly to engage return meanscomprising, in the illustrated embodiment, upper spaced lead screws 32and lower spaced lead screws 33 extending parallel to the lead screws 31and 30. The faller bars 10 in the upper series are guided in theirreturn movement to the entrance end of the gill box by the uppersurfaces of a pair of spaced saddles 34, positioned at and adapted toengage the opposite end portions of the fallerbars 10, while the returnmovement of the lower faller bars 11 is guided by a pair of lowersupport and guide members or saddles 36 positioned at opposite ends ofthe faller bars 11. The lead screws for returning the faller bars 10, 11are similar in construction to the lead screws for advancing the fallerbars but are 'of different pitch so that the drafting pins of the fallerbars will be canted on the return movement. The lead screws 30, 31, 32and 33 are interconnected and driven through gearing G at the entranceend of the gill box in a conventional manner. The gearing is best shownin Figs. 1 and 3. The gearing shown in Fig. l is duplicated on each sideof the gill box as shown in Fig. 3, where the gearing on the right handside of the gill box is shown in end elevation while that on the lefthand side is viewed along a section line XX of Fig. 1.

The faller bars 10, 11 are transferred between the advance lead screwand the return lead screw by means preferably comprising S-shaped cams37 mounted on the exit ends of the advance lead screws. The S-shapedcams are of conventional construction and their manner of operation iswell understood by those skilled in the; art. Similarly, S-shaped cams,not shown, are provided at the entrance end of the gill box to transferthe faller bars from the return lead screw to the advance lead screw.Preferably, the ends of the saddles 26 and 34 are formed so as to guidethe movement of the faller bars in such a manner as to produce a quick,downward withdrawal in the manner described in the aforesaid patent.

-The movements ofthe faller bars in' both directions between theiradvance and return lead screws is guided by a plurality of fingers orconductors. Two conductors 38 are provided for guiding the movement ofthe upper faller bars from the advance lead screw to the return leadscrew, The conductors 38 are adapted to engage opposite end portions ofan upper faller bar as it is being moved past the ends of the saddles 34in its transfer from the advance lead screw to the return lead screw andto continuously bias the faller bar into engagement with the ends of thesaddles. are supported by individualrocker members 40 mounted on theupper transverse frame member located at the exit end of the gill box.Each rocker member comprises a sleeve portion 41 coaxial with and abouta reduced portion of the transverse frame member 15 and has a radiallyextending arm 42 to which the conductor 38 is fixed. The sleeve portion41 of each rocker member 40 is prevented from movement along the framemember 15 by engagement at one end with the side plate adjacent theretoand by engagement at the other end with a shoulder 43 between thereduced portion supporting the rocker member 40 and the portion of theframe member 15 immediately adjacent thereto, and inwardly thereof.

The movement of the lower faller bars 11 from the advance lead screw tothe return lead screw is guided by two conductors 44, similar inconstruction to the conductors 38 and supported in a manner similar tothe support for the conductors 38 from the lower transverse frame member17 at the exit end of the gill box. Similarly, conductors 45 supportedfrom the transverse frame member 14 are provided for guiding themovement of the upper faller bars 10 from the return lead screws 32 tothe advance lead screws 30, and conductors 46 supported from thetransverse frame member 16 for guiding the transfer of the lower fallerbars 11 from the return lead screws 33 to the advance lead screws 31.The conductors 44, 45, and 46 are all supported by rocker memberssimilar in construction to the rocker member for supporting theconductors 38, and the parts thereof corresponding to the parts of therocker member 40 have been given the same reference numerals, and thedescription thereof, for the sake of clarity and brevity, will not berepeated.

According to one feature of the present invention, the conductors forguiding the transverse movement of the faller bars are biased toward theends of the saddles for guiding the movements of the faller bars bymeans adapted to also cushion the shocks imparted by the faller bars tothe conductors. In the illustrated and preferred embodiment, the upperconductors 38 at the exit end of the gill box are each opposed to adifferent one of the conductors 45 located at the entrance end of thegill box. Each of the opposed conductors 38, 45 are connected togetherby a tie rod 47 extending between the rocker members 40 for supportingthe opposed conductors. Each tie rod 47 extends through and outwardly ofa web portion 48 of each of the rocker members 40 to which it isconnected, the web portions 48 being provided with an aperture 49 forpassing the particular tie rod. The web portion 48 of each rocker member40 extends between the radial arm 42 for supporting the conductormounted on the rocker member and the sleeve portion 41 thereof.

For biasing the conductors and cushioning the shocks imparted to theopposed conductors 38, 45, a body 50 of rubber-like material, preferablyneoprene, is positioned between each of the outer ends of the tie rod 47joining the rocker members and the web portion 48 of the rocker memberimmediately adjacent to that end of the tie rod. The outer ends of thetie rod 47 for the conductors 38, 45 are threaded to receive nuts 51 forcompressing the rubber-like bodies 50 against the web portions 48 of therocker members.

The construction of the rubber-like bodies 50 is illustrated in detailin Fig. 4, and as may be seen therefrom,

The conductors 38 l the body 50 preferably comprises a main body portion52 of circular cross section and having an axial bore 53 for passing thetie rod 47 and the sides which taper inwardly from a point of maximumdiameter to the ends of the body portion 52. The inner end of the bodyportion 52 includes a pilot 54 which extends axially therefrom and whichis adapted to be received in the aperture 49. The portion 55 of thepilot 54 immediately adjacent the end of the main body portion 52 iscylindrical in configuration and has substantially the same outsidediameter as the inside diameter of the aperture 49. A washer 56 isprovided intermediate the adjacent nut 51 and the body portion 52 so asto provide an even distribution of the forces applied by the nut uponthe tightening thereof.

The conductors 44, 46 for the lower series of faller bars are positionedand biased toward the ends of saddles 26 in the same manner as theconductors 38, 45, and the description will therefore not be repeatedbut the buffering and biasing mechanisms for connecting opposed lowerconductors have been given the same reference numeral as thecorresponding parts of the biasing and buffering means just described.

For purposes of illustration, the operation of the conductors 38, 45illustrated in Fig. 3 will be described, it being understood that theother conductors function in the same manner. As will be seen from Fig.3, when a faller bar 10 is being transferred from the advance lead screwto the return lead screw, and is positioned immediately opposite the endof the saddle 24, the conductor 45 has been just engaged and movedslightly by a faller bar to be transferred from the return lead screw tothe advance lead screw. The faller bar being transferred at the exit endof the gill box will be moved upwardly away from the end of the saddle24 prior to the movement of a faller bar at the entrance end of the gillbox to a point immediately opposite to the entrance end of the saddle24. In this manner, only one faller bar at a time is positioned directlyintermediate the ends of the saddles and any one of two conductors whichare tied together. The number of faller bars in each series is such thatthe opposed conductors are continuously in engagement with faller barsand operate in a tandem-like manner.

The rubber-like bodies 50 function to apply a bias to the conductors 38,45, which maintains the conductor members in engagement with the fallerbars and, in turn, maintains the faller bars in engagement with the endof the saddle for guiding the movement thereof. It will be seen that bytightening the nuts 51, the tension applied to the conductors 38, 45tied together by the particular bar may be increased and may bedecreased by loosening the nuts 51. Not only do the rubber'like bodies50 function to bias the conductors into engagement with the faller bars,but they also serve to buffer or cushion shocks imparted to theconductors by the transfer of the faller bars and permit limitedrelative movement between opposed, tied-together conductors. Theparticular configuration of the rubber-like bodies 50 is advantageous inthat it tends to reduce distortion of the rubber-like body withoperation of the gill box.

It can be seen from the foregoing description that the present inventionaccomplishes the objects heretofore enumerated and others, and that anew and improved gill box of simplified and lightweight construction hasbeen provided which includes a novel mechanism for biasing andcushioning the operation of the conductors for guiding the transfer offaller bars.

While the preferred embodiment of the present invention has beendescribed in considerable detail, it is to be understood that it is myintention to cover hereby all modifications and constructions which fallwithin the practice of those skilled in the art and the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a gill box, a frame comprising spaced substantially parallel sideplates, upper and lower series of faller bars supported transversely ofsaid plates for movement parallel to the plates, first and second meansfor advancing the faller bars of said upper and lower series of fallerbars respectively, first and second means for returning the faller barsof the upper and lower series respectively, means for transferring thefaller bars to and from the return means, guide members for guiding theadvance and return movements of the faller bars, pairs of rocker membersfor engaging the faller bars at spaced points and guiding their movementto and from the return means, there being a pair of rocker members ateach end of each of said return means adjacent to the ends of said guidemembers a plurality of upper and lower transverse frame membersextending between and connected to said side plates, each of said pairsof rocker members being supported for rocking movement on one of saidtransverse frame members, and buffering and biasing means for eachrocker member to cushion movement of the rocker member in a directionaway from the guide members and for urging the rocker member intoengagement with the faller bars comprising an abutment member and a bodyof rubber-like material engageable by the rocker member and positionedbetween the rocker member and said abutment member.

2. In a gill box, a frame comprising spaced substantially parallel sideplates, a series of faller bars supported transversely of said platesfor movement parallel to the plates, advance means for advancing saidfaller bars from the entrance end to the exit end of the gill box,return means for returning the faller bars, means for transferring thefaller bars between the advance means and the return means includingfirst and second opposed rocker members for guiding the transfer of saidfaller bars, there being a rocker member at each end of said advancemeans for advancing the faller bars to guide the transfer movement ofthe faller bars between the advance means and the return means, a tierod extending between and through said rocker members and having anabutment surface positioned outwardly of each rocker member, andbuffering and biasing means comprising a body of rubberlike material onsaid tie rod intermediate each rocker member and the abutment surfaceoutwardly thereof.

3. A gill box as defined in claim 2 wherein each of said rubber-likebodies has a circular cross-section and a central portion of maximumdiameter with external sides tapering from the central portion towardthe opposite ends of the body engaging the adjacent abutment and rockermember.

4. In a gill box, a frame comprising spaced substantially parallel sideplates, a series of faller bars supported transversely of said platesfor movement parallel to the plates, means for advancing said fallerbars from the entrance end to the exit end of the gill box, means forreturning the faller bars, means for transferring the faller bars to andfrom the return means, guide members for guiding the advance and returnmovements of the faller bars, pairs of rocker members having means forengaging faller bars being transferred at spaced points and guidingtheir movement to and from the return means, there being a pair ofrocker members at each end of each of said return means adjacent to theends of said guide members and the individual rocker members of eachpair being opposed to a rocker member of the other pair, a plurality oftransverse frame members extending between and spacing said side plates,each of said pairs 5 of rocker members being supported for rockingmovement on one of said transverse frame members, means for bufferingshock imparted to said rocker members and for urging the guiding meansof the rocker members into engagement with the faller bars comprising atie rod extending between opposed rocker members and outwardly thereof,an abutment on each of said tie rods outwardly of each rocker member, abody of rubber-like material intermediate each abutment and the adjacentrocker member, and means for moving said abutments toward and away fromthe respective ones of said rocker members.

5. In a gill box, a frame comprising spaced substantially parallel sideplates, upper and lower series of faller bars supported transversely ofsaid plates for movement parallel to the plates, means for advancing thefaller bars of said upper and lower series, means for returning thefaller bars of the upper and lower series, each of said series of fallerbars having first and second opposed rocker members for guiding thetransfer of said faller bars, there being a rocker member at each end ofsaid means for advancing the faller bars to guide the movement of thefaller bars to and from said advancing means, a tie rod extendingbetween and through said rocker members and having an abutment surfacepositioned outwardly of each rocker member, buffering and biasing meanscomprising a body of rubber-like material on said tie rod intermediateeach rocker member and the abutment surface outwardly thereof, and meansfor adjustably moving said abutment surfaces relative to each otheralong said tie rod, to vary the distance there between.

6. In a gill box having a frame providing exit and entrance ends for thegill box, a series of faller bars to be advanced from the entrance endto the exit end of the box and returned to the entrance end, advancemeans for advancing the taller bars from the entrance end to the exitend of the gill box, return means for returning the faller bars from theexit end to the entrance end, guide members for guiding the advance andreturn movements of the faller bars, means for transferring the fallerbars between the return means and advance means at the entrance and exitends of the box and including a pair of rocker members supportedadjacent to one end of the gill box for guiding the transfer movement ofthe individual faller bars at that end of the box, said rocker membersbeing engaged and rocked by the individual faller bars during theirtransfer movement at that end of the box, an abutment supported adjacenteach of said rocker members, and a body of rubber-like materialpositioned between each abutment and the adjacent rocker member andurging said rocker members in a direction toward said faller bars andbuffering said rocker members when engaged by said faller bars.

7. A gill box as defined in claim 6 wherein each of said rubber-likebodies has a circular cross section and a central portion of maximumdiameter with external sides tapering from the central portion towardthe opposite ends of the body engaging the adjacent abutment and rockermember.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,497,306 Schlumberger June 10, 1924 1,763,926 Gegautf June 17, 1930FOREIGN PATENTS 8,979 Great Britain of 1887

